“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” — Proverbs 19:21

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Tennis world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz had a 2025 season for the ages. In 11 months, he amassed two Grand Slam titles, three Masters 1000 titles, three ATP 500 titles, reached 10 finals in his last 11 events, and produced an astonishing 71-9 record on the year. He also made history by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to end a season with more than 12,000 ranking points.

At just 22 years old, it’s safe to say that this young man is putting together a career so far that’s the stuff legends are made of. Anyone who’s watched his matches knows that the sky is truly the limit on his potential, and he’s just getting started. Which, considering how good he already is (sitting at 26 total titles, including seven Grand Slams), is scary.

But he recently revealed a deep insight when asked in an interview what scares him the most. Was it fame? Not reaching his goals? Losing a heartbreaking match? Not ending with the most majors in history? None of those, he said. Instead, it was “living a life I don’t want to live. Being stuck in a loop, living a life doing something I don’t really want to do.”

Above all of the things that could scare him the most, it was living a life he wasn’t meant for — living out a story that isn’t his own. Perhaps that’s why it has bothered him so much when reporters try to compare him to other greats in the sport, past or present. He just wants to live out his own story and do it well.

If we’re honest, how many of us feel pressure to live out a story that’s not our own? I think probably most. It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to be somebody we’re not, in order to fit in, succeed and advance. Our culture is built on imitation and comparison, forcing us to live lives that look a certain way so that we rise up the corporate or athletic ladder and reach certain levels of set achievement. Things like social media only make this pressure more accessible and appealing.

But the truth is, God didn’t create us to live our lives centered around imitating others; He made us to be imitators of Him. He formed us in His own image and has plans and purposes for us that are unique to each and every one of us. He doesn’t want us copying somebody else’s blueprint.

See, God loves variety. If He wanted us all to look and act and be the same, He would’ve designed our world that way. But He didn’t. He delights in the individuality each of us expresses as special creations of His. We are reflective of His creativity and variety.

So yes, it should scare us to go chasing a life that’s not the one designed for us and being stuck in a loop doing something we weren’t meant for. Because, in the end, God isn’t about us fitting in. He’s about us being the difference.

— Katherine Singer

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